In a period in which general attention seems to have been restricted to some issues in particular, all of them the trend of the pandemic and the state of vaccinations that could end it, in the world things that changed before continue to do so now: and among these the visual identities of large companies, which often accompany the start of new strategies, as in the case of the automotive sector, with its general conversion towards the production of more sustainable vehicles. And in recent weeks, perhaps the most discussed company of the moment has also changed its logo: Pfizer, the manufacturer of the first coronavirus vaccine approved by the European Union and the United States.
Pfizer
The US pharmaceutical company founded in Brooklyn in 1849 had already been one of the largest companies in the world for some time: in recent months it has also become one of the best known, due to the coronavirus epidemic and the vaccine it has begun to produce and which we talk daily. In January, at the very moment of maximum visibility, coinciding with the start of vaccinations, Pfizer changed its logo. The New York agency Team in charge of the work kept the logo and “broken” the shape of the pill in use since 1940 – which symbolized the company’s most famous products – to create a spiral that recalls the structure of DNA and conveys a sense of upward movement. For Pfizer, the new logo “inspires the progress, change and overturning of old realities in search of the innovations of tomorrow”.
Intel
It is the best known and longest-running manufacturer of computer hardware, in particular microprocessors, the “minds” of many electronic devices that we use every day. Last September, on the occasion of the launch of the eleventh generation of processors, the multinational presented a new visual identity, markedly different from the previous one, to give the idea of how “Intel is entering a new era”. According to observers, the change in an image as recognizable as that of Intel (often accompanied by the famous slogan “Intel Inside”), was also dictated by the company’s desire to give a signal of breaking with the recent past, characterized by negative events such as the 1 billion euro fine received by the European Commission for unfair competition e from serious security problems which have affected most of its processors produced in the previous twenty years.
That
With more than 50,000 employees and three million vehicles sold annually, Kia is South Korea’s second largest automobile manufacturer after Hyundai, a company with which it shares the owner group, Hyundai Motor Company. Like so many other auto companies – see Volkswagen and BMW – Kia has renewed its image to support the search for a more sustainable production and increasingly oriented towards electric motors: for these reasons it has eliminated the wording “Motors” from the name and assumed a more modern look halfway between an acronym hand made and a symmetrical repeat.
Medium
Initially Medium was a tool used by Twitter users to occasionally publish longer posts. Over time it has evolved and today it is used for communications by influential people, hosts several magazines and has become popular as an alternative platform to blogging. Last October, to better represent the latest evolution of the platform, more oriented towards sharing and comparison, the logo was integrated with three ellipsis “which indicate the change of perspective necessary to welcome new opinions”.
Burger King
In January, the Burger King fast food chain unveiled an extensive rebranding of its image inspired by the style used in its stores between the 1960s and 1970s. Founded in 1954 in Jacksonville, Florida, over the years Burger King has grown into the second largest fast food burger chain in the world – currently owning 18,800 outlets in over one hundred countries. The new identity, created by the Jones Knowles Ritchi studio in New York, has simplified and made more natural the image of the chain, which in the past was more linked to artificial colors. The rebranding follows the recent decision to reduce artificial colors, flavors and preservatives in the products sold and a new corporate vision dedicated to environmental sustainability.
Nissan
The Japanese car company has been in a difficult time for some time. In the past two years, it has cut 12,500 jobs worldwide and reduced the number of models produced by 10 percent by 2022 – measures necessitated by the slump in sales and the controversial legal woes of its former CEO Carlos Ghosn. Last summer, the company tried to relaunch itself by presenting its first electric crossover SUV and at the same time a new logo, described as the starting point of a new corporate chapter. As in the cases cited above, the metal shield common to the automotive logos of the last forty years has been replaced by a lighter and more adaptable figure, while retaining its traditional shape.
General Motors
The last major auto company to revamp its image was General Motors, the largest auto manufacturer in the United States. In January, the company announced its intention to stop selling diesel and gasoline cars, SUVs and vans by 2035. It also unveiled the plan by which it plans to become carbon neutral, that is, with an overall budget of zero greenhouse gas emissions, by 2040. The executives they further explained that the company intends to offer an all-electric version of each of its vehicles by the mid-1920s. For the occasion, the old logo in use since 1964 has been lightened and made more modern.
CIA
Espionage agencies also have visual identities and spy agencies change them too. In January, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – arguably the best known intelligence in the world – unveiled its new corporate identity. Presented so to speak, however: as expected, the agency gave no explanations and limited itself to making the change. Second Under Consideration, specialized graphics site, the new image of the CIA «provoked irony for the obvious effort to create an interesting and trendy look through the use of a bevy of concentric line patterns that drown all the graphics trying too hard to be cool. Despite this, there is an effort to make the CIA appear as something more engaging, relevant and contemporary ».
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